Protect your dog from parasites including intestinal worms
There are many reasons you don't want your dog to contract intestinal worms. They can cause your dog to have a poor appetite and upset their stomach to the point of diarrhea or vomiting. Not to mention, they’re just plain disgusting! Even if you don’t see worms, microscopic worm eggs are passed in the feces and can cause infection in people.
Kids aren’t always the best hand washers, and those little fingers often end up in their mouths. This leaves kids more likely to get infected with worms from their dog playmates.
Some of these worms won’t cause the exact same issues in people as they do in your dog. Because these worms are used to infecting dogs, they get "lost" in humans, never quite reaching the intestine. Instead, they end up wandering to odd places inside the human body. This explains why people can have wide-ranging symptoms from intestinal worms, like a skin rash or a vision problem, rather than vomiting or diarrhea like in dogs.
Okay, so you’re probably really grossed out right about now! But the good news is that this is really easy to prevent. We’re here to give you these tips to keep your dog, you and your family safe from worms:
- Get fecal parasite testing done on your dog on a routine basis. This can help you catch a worm problem before it gets into your environment and becomes a long-standing issue. Your veterinarian can recommend how frequently this should be done based on where you live.
- Scoop the poop in your yard regularly. Always wash your hands when you’re done picking up after your dog, even when using dog waste bags or a scooper to do so.
- Reduce the likelihood of your dog contracting worms by preventing behaviors that may expose your dog to infection, like eating other animals’ poop (including other dogs’ poop).
- Don't go barefoot in parks or beaches that may be frequented by dogs or cats.
- Keep children's sandboxes covered when not in use to prevent neighborhood cats and other animals from using it as a litter box.
- Keep your dog on monthly heartworm prevention, year-round. In addition to protecting your dog from heartworm, a potentially life-threatening and costly disease to treat, many of these preventives also target intestinal worms. This gives you peace of mind that your dog is regularly being dewormed so that your dog, you and your family aren’t at risk.
Speak with your VCA veterinarian to find out which parasite preventive would be best for your dog.
Browse our wide variety of easy-to-use, veterinarian-approved parasite preventives. >>
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